TORONTO — NDP leadership candidate Avi Lewis has helped author a new report accusing Canada’s primary pro-Israel organization of engaging in systemic anti-Palestinian racism.
As previously reported, the Jewish Faculty Network’s “CIJA Report: A Pattern of Anti-Palestinian Racism and Genocide Denial at the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs” claims that CIJA (the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs) systematically engages in the denial of Palestinian rights and promotes discriminatory narratives in the Canadian public sphere.
The 180-page report, released in October by a collective including Avi Lewis and other academics, was described by its authors as a comprehensive review of over 1,800 public statements made by CIJA between October 7, 2023, and March 2024.
It alleges that CIJA’s advocacy not only marginalizes Palestinian voices but also manufactures public and political “consent” for what the report labels as acts of genocide or denial thereof.
The authors, including Lewis, further assert that the pro-Israel lobby positions itself as the de facto representative of Canadian Jews, ignoring internal diversity and silencing dissent. The report proposes alternatives for Jewish representation in public discourse, calling CIJA’s institutional influence “anti-democratic and exclusionary”.
Jewish communal leadership and pro-Israel advocacy organizations have sharply criticized both the tone and conclusions of the report. CIJA leadership rejected the allegations outright, stating that the organization’s mission is to represent the mainstream concerns of Canadian Jews, support Israel’s right to self-determination, and fight antisemitism in all its forms.
“Efforts to delegitimize Jewish organizations and equate pro-Israel advocacy with racism distort the reality of Jewish communal needs and values in Canada.”
Community critics note that the report’s framing of Zionism and Jewish identity echoes broader trends among anti-Israel activists to recast traditional Jewish advocacy as inherently oppressive. Some commentators observed that the accusations reflect political activism more than neutral scholarship, warning that the net effect is to erode solidarity at a time of rising antisemitism in Canada and abroad.
In social media commentary, supporters of Avi Lewis have praised his willingness to challenge institutional power, while Jewish and Zionist organizations called attention to the risk of inflaming tensions and misrepresenting the broad spectrum of Canadian Jewish opinion.
“No single organization speaks for all Jews, but undermining established Jewish communal bodies with sweeping allegations is neither constructive nor honest.”
The report’s release has reignited debate on how Canadian institutions should address competing claims of racism, freedom of expression, and minority representation in a climate of polarization over Middle East policy. As Jewish groups prepare formal responses, and as the NDP faces scrutiny over its members’ involvement, the controversy underscores the complexities and sensitivities of public dialogue about Israel and Jewish identity in Canada.
This article is based on verified information from the Jewish Faculty Network, CIJA statements, public reporting, and social media analysis.
When they come for me, they will come for him and his self hating wife. Shame on them